Melomakarona (Christmas greek traditional shortbread cookies)
Ingredients
Ingredients for 60 Melomakarona
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 glass of cognac
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbs of slightly crushed cloves and cinnamon
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 kg flour for all uses
- 200 g. crushed walnuts
- cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the syrup
- 2 cups honey
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Directions
Mix the sugar with the oil for 5 minutes. Pour the brandy and then the orange juice, in which we have dissolved the soda. Add the orange and lemon zest, as well as the cloves and cinnamon.
Transfer the mixture in a bowl. Shuffle the flour with the baking powder and then add it in the mixture progressively, kneading at the same time until you obtain a soft and fluffy dough.
Give Melomakarona an elongated and rounded at the edges shape. Place them in a large baking pan and bake them in the oven, at 180° C for 10' to 15' minutes. After baking, allow the Melomakarona to cool off.
Meantime, you can prepare the syrup by boiling water with sugar and honey. Once the sugar has dissolved, you should lower the fire a lot. Immerse the Melomakarona little by little in the syrup . Drain them with a slotted spoon. Place the Melomakarona in a platter and sprinkle their top with walnuts and cinnamon (optional).